The Past Always Comes Back
by c.j. hamilton
Summary: When someone from Rory's past returns in an unlikely setting, how will she and the 'someone' handle it? Will it end in Romance? Or Hate? And how will that love or hate blossom?
1. opening the door to your past

Okay, so, technically, this is my third story… but seeing as I deleted my first one because it was nothing short of complete crap… we'll only count this as my second story. Anyway, here it is. It's a slightly (okay, a lot more than slightly) AU Trory. It takes place when Rory is 22, a few months after her graduation from Yale. There is no Logan (no matter how hot he truly is) and she is friends with Marty. Tristan, on the other hand, hasn't been seen in Hartford since his parents sent him to military school. So, what happens when they meet up again? Oh, and I really don't care how "Tristan" is spelled. I know technically it's supposed to be 'Tristin', but you see, one of my best friends is 'Tristan' so I'm much more used to writing 'Tristan' so that's probably how it will be spelled on most occasions. Oh, and the medical jargon with Tristan? Yeah… I haven't watch ER in a while… so it's going to be very basic… wrong, even. So… enjoy!

* * *

Washington D.C., November 2007

"Gilmore!"

An older man with gray hair yelled, trying to get the young woman's attention.

"Yes Mr. Thompson?"

"I need you to do a cover story."

The girl stared at her boss with disbelief. She had only been working at the magazine for a little over 6 months and was already being assigned a cover story.

"A cover story, sir?"

"Yes, it's a story on wounded soldiers returning to the United States and getting their lives back on track. We'll be publishing it in 6 months. We've already arranged for you to meet with 8 men and women, you're going to follow them and see how they adjust to life after a war."

"So a human interest piece?"

"Yes, come to my office tomorrow and I'll have more information for you."

"Yes sir."

The young woman sighed; it wasn't what she was hoping for… especially considering that she had graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Political Science and Journalism. But, it was a step up from her normal sound bite column that she edited. Actually, it was an entire ladder up.

That night, the brunette prepared herself for what might come tomorrow. She remembered reading that soldiers who were injured in war often developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Logging onto webMD, she searched the disorder, hoping to find information that might help her article. Finding a few articles that might help her, she got ready for bed and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

US Military Base in Germany, same time

A doctor was making his round when he noticed that his newest patient had woken up. Walking up to the young man, who, in the doctor's opinion couldn't be more than 23, he noticed the confusion written across the man's face.

Nearing the side of the bed, he asked, "Captain DuGrey?"

The young man looked up. He managed a weak smile. "Good afternoon Doctor"

The doctor returned the smile. Grabbing the young man's chart, he pulled a chair next to the bed. He cleared his throat.

"I assume you'd like to know what all happened, right?"

Capt. DuGrey nodded slightly.

The doctor looked down at the chart.

"Well, when you came in you were in pretty bad shape. To be honest with you, you are pretty damn lucky to even be alive right now. Anyway, when you cam in we had to repair massive internal bleeding. We transfused almost 6 units of blood. They lost you once, but managed to get you back. Other than that, we had to remove your spleen, and repair the cartilage in both knees. As for broken bones, your left wrist and right leg both have multiple fractures. However, the good news is that in 3 days we'll be transferring you to a hospital in Washington D.C. That way, your family can visit you."

The doctor never noticed the wince that crossed the young man's handsome face when he mentioned 'family'.

* * *

Office of Frederick Thompson, editor in chief of Time Magazine

Frederick Thompson was a man who was not to be messed with. No nonsense, he ran the magazine with military precision. Often intimidating to new interns and employees, most found that he was more like the big brother they never had. Hearing the knock at his door, he answered.

"Come on in, Lorelai."

She laughed, no matter how many times she had told him to call her Rory, he insisted on using her given name. It wasn't to annoy her. He just didn't believe in giving people nicknames. People were given a name for a reason, what sense did it make to give them two?

"Hello, Mr. Thompson."

He gave her the look he always did.

"Lorelai, its Frederick to you"

It was a game they played. They could go back and forth for hours with one another. He really was like a father to her, taking her under his wing when she interned for him her sophomore and junior years in college. Once she had graduated, he had made sure that he made her the best offer.

Reaching into a drawer in his desk, he pulled out a manila folder that was at least 3 inches thick.

"Now, Lorelai, we wanted this to be a broad spectrum report. So much so that we picked the eight men and women from various branches of the military and from all social settings… we want people to relate. All are currently at the military hospital right outside of the city. You'll find their names in the folder. They are also all in different stages of recovery. The last name on the list, Tristan DuGrey from Hartford, CT. is still in Germany at this moment recovering. He'll be the last one you meet. However, this will be your only assignment for a while and we want it perfect. Now, originally I told you that it was going to be published in six months… but after talking with the other editors, we have decided to make it a 6 part story. It will be published once a month and the first article is due December 6th. Is that okay with you Lorelai?"

She nodded a yes. However she hadn't heard anything Frederick had said after 'Tristan DuGrey'.

It was going to be an interesting article.

* * *

Okay, so that was the beginning. It's really just an intro. The rest of the story will come later. Unfortunately, with it being so close to the beginning of school (And two AP classes), updates might be few and far between. Oh, and to the readers of Our Time... yeah, keep the same philosophy for that story... few and far between. That way, you won't be disappointed. 


	2. the return home

Chapter 2: The Return "Home"

Okay, so thank you so much for all your encouragement. I hope this turns out to be a good story as well. Please tell me if it ever gets… well, crappy. Oh, and the first chapter was one of the shortest chapters that I have ever written for any story. Most are upwards of 2,500 to 5,000 words. I wasn't exactly in the writing mood last night but I wanted to get the story out there, you know? Anyway, on with the story!

_Apartment of Lorelai Gilmore, Washington D.C._

When she awoke the next morning, the thought immediately came to her mind that plagued her the entire day before.

_Where have I heard of Tristan DuGrey before? Frederick had said that he was from Hartford, but that doesn't really mean anything. _

Walking over to her closet, she noticed a box on the top shelf that was labeled 'Chilton'. Figuring her mother brought it with her and put it there on the last visit, she pulled the box down. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was only 7:00 am, there was plenty of time before her 11:00 meeting. Sitting down on the bed with her legs folded underneath her, she opened the box.

Thousands of memories came rushing back at her.

Finding her yearbook from sophomore year, she was leafing through it when it hit her.

Tristan DuGrey was the same Tristan who was sent to military school. It all made sense now. Placing the yearbook back into the box, she slid the box underneath her bed.

She didn't know if she was hiding it from herself or not.

_George Washington University Hospital_

It was 6:30 am when Tristan arrived in the United States for the first time in over two years. Technically, he was still supposed to be in Germany, but due to an attack the day after his talk with the doctor, the hospital had run out of beds and anyone who could fly had to.

Looking around his extremely white room, he saw a vase of flowers. Just barely he was able to reach over and grab the card. Opening it, he was shocked. _Time Magazine wanted him to be part of a cover story for them? Funny_, he thought, _most people always thought that'd I'd be on the cover of People for 'The Sexiest Man Alive' issue. Not Time for a special on injured soldiers and their return home._

Just as he placed the card back on the nightstand, a nurse walked in. She was older, maybe 50 and had a warm smile. Looking down at the chart she carried, she sat down next to him.

"How are you this morning, Tristan?"

She genuinely cared. He could tell by the tone of her voice. Managing to return her smile, he responded.

"Could be worse, I guess."

She gave him a knowing look and got up to check his vitals and make sure everything was still going well. Noticing how uncomfortable he was, she began to make small talk.

"Well, since you're probably going to be here a while, my name's Alexia. It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

"So, how old are you?" _He looked young_, she thought, _too young to have to deal with what was ahead for him. _

"Twenty-three next month"

She continued asking questions and making small conversation until the Doctor walked in. Sitting down in the chair that Alex had once occupied, he took a deep breath.

"Now, I'm sure that your doctor in Germany went over your injuries with you?" Not waiting for a response, he continued, "Basically, once you're back in semi-good health, we're going to start you in rehab. It's going to be tough, especially due to the damage in your legs. We're going to keep you here the first two weeks of rehab just incase." The doctor got up and left.

Seeing the look on Tristan's face, Alexia hugged him the best she could and sat down next to him.

Looking at her watch, she said, "My shift is over, so if you let me change, I'll come back and keep you company."

Tristan nodded. For some reason, Alexia already felt like more of a mom to him that his mother ever did.

_Later that day…_

Rory Gilmore had just finished 4 of her interviews when her cell phone began to ring. Opening her black leather Coach purse, she pulled out the pink phone.

"Lorelai Gilmore speaking"

"Hello Lorelai"

A smile crossed her features.

"Hello Mr. Thompson."

"Lorelai..." He said in a warning voice, she could hear underlying tones that let her know he was joking.

"How are you today Frederick?"

"Fine. Now, I called for a reason. It seems that one Tristan DuGrey returned to the United States earlier than expected. I want you to interview him today. He's at George Washington University Hospital. Just tell the receptionist that you're with Time."

He hung up. Sitting down on the nearest chair, Rory couldn't believe it. The last time she'd seen him was the night of the Romeo and Juliet play. Suddenly all of the other memories came back as well…

Fighting at her locker….

The Winter Dance….

Madeline's party…

PJ Harvey…

Sighing, she returned her phone to her purse and checked her watch. 4:30, there was more than enough time to grab some dinner and still make it to the hospital before visiting hours were over.

After a quick trip to Panera, Rory made her way to the hospital. As soon as she walked up to the sliding glass doors, a gust of cool air reached her. Mentally, she chided herself for not bringing a sweater. Hospitals were always cold. She never understood that actually. Why were they so cold? There were already so many sick individuals there, why make them colder with the air conditioning?

Finding out his room number had been more than a challenge. She knew that the press weren't allowed to know soldier's room numbers for confidentiality reasons, but she figured that Time had already called and asked the hospital for permission. They had done it with the previous 4 people.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that Tristan wasn't expected for another two days, they hadn't. This meant that she had to call Frederick back. Which was another set back all in itself. He had already left the office and his secretary said it was for personal reasons. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, Rory had his cell phone number, she just hated using it. After finally getting a hold of him and letting Frederick yell at the receptionist for a good twenty minutes, Tristan's room number was finally released to her.

She didn't know why, but the hallway seemed to get longer with each step. The numbering on the rooms didn't seem to make any sense either. Finally, she reached room 556. She heard laughter come from the room, and she quickly knocked on the door jam. An older woman looked up.

"Oh, you must be Lorelai Gilmore. Reception just called and told us to expect you."

It really was a good thing that Alexia was still there with him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to talk. Not that he was talking now or anything.

As soon as she entered the room, he had recognized her. She was, as sappy and overly romanticized that it is, the one thing that got him through his year at military school and four years in the Marines. Their eyes had immediately connected and he swore he felt some kind of connection with her.

Alexia was not dumb. She could feel the blatant sexual tension between the two.

"Miss Gilmore? Would you like to sit?" Alexia asked, pulling another chair next to her and Tristan. "Miss Gilmore?"

The second 'Miss Gilmore' had shaken Rory out of her reverie.

"Oh, yes, thank you."

Tristan had finally gotten his voice back, "Hey…. Mary."

Alexia looked at him. "Tristan, didn't you hear, her name is Lorelai. But, I'm pretty sure you should be addressing her as Miss Gilmore." She had admonished him. They had only known one another a few hours, but she was already treating him like he was a son to her.

Rory took this as her time to talk.

"Actually, I'd rather be addressed as Rory. Although, I'm sure he knows that already."

Alexia gave the two a weird glance, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Tristan."

Tristan never lost eye contact with Rory as he told Alexia good bye.

Rory moved over a chair so that she'd be closer to him. Taking in the bandages and casts that covered his body, she was astonished.

"Oh, Tristan what did you do to yourself?" She wondered aloud.

He looked at her warily, "Well, bombs tend to do this to people… if they don't kill them, that is."

Her eyes softened, "A bomb?"

"Yeah… it hit my convoy. I was the only one to survive." She could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Oh, Tristan, I'm so sorry." By this time, she had taken his un-bandaged hand in hers. She couldn't help but notice the sparks that went up her spine.

There was an awkward silence. Tristan took this as the time to take in her appearance. She hadn't changed much since high school. She still had creamy white skin and dark brown hair. Only, unlike junior year, her hair was shoulder-length and not flowing to the middle of her back. Her black pinstripe pantsuit was perfectly tailored. So much so that it look like her already long legs were even longer.

Rory had also been taking in Tristan's appearance. He looked so much different than he had in high school. His features were so much more mature, and even with him lying in the hospital bed, she could tell that he had grown a few inches. His hair was a darker blonde and buzz cut.

Tristan finally broke the silence, "So what have you been up to since I last saw you?"

She laughed. "If I told you that, it would sound like one of those 'what I did over summer vacation essays'. What if we play 21 Questions? That way, I find out about you and you find out about me." She looked to him for approval.

He nodded, "Sure, why not?"

Kicking her shoes off, she pulled her legs up so she was sitting 'Indian-Style' in the chair.

"Okay, let's start with the basics. Where and when were you born?"

"Isn't that two questions?" He asked.

She gave him a look. "No."

"Okay. I was born September 27, 1984 in New York, New York. You?"

"October 2, 1985 in Hartford, Connecticut… What are your parents' names?"

"Adele and Francis DuGrey. Et tu?"

"Lorelai Gilmore and Christopher Hayden"

"Why were you named after your mother?"

"One word: Demerol." Rory replied with a laugh. Tristan laughed with her and she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked when he truly smiled. She continued, "Favorite childhood show?"

"Sesame Street"

"Me too!" She exclaimed.

"Favorite character?" He asked.

"Cookie monster, of course! Where did you go to college?"

"West Point, you?"

"Yale."

A confused look came over her face, "Wait, how did you spend a year and a half in Iraq if you went to college?"

"I graduated military school early. With all the credits from Chilton, I had senior class standing when I transferred. Thus, I went to college a year earlier than you."

"Oh."

Tristan desperately wanted to lighten the mood. Military school and the Marines were not subjects that he enjoyed talking about.

"What did you major in?" He asked.

"Political Science and Journalism, you?"

"Psychology with a minor in Italian"

"Interesting," she commented, "Favorite sport?"

"Rugby, you?"

"Me?" she laughed, "Sports? Those are two words that normally aren't put in the same sentence."

"Oh," he said, "Favorite book?"

She gasped, "How could I have a favorite? There are so many! But, if I had to chose, it'd be Anna Karenina."

"Tolstoy, interesting."

"What about you?"

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

She wrinkled her nose, "Really? I found that book horrible to read. It literally bored me to death."

He shrugged as much as he could in his current position.

"Favorite movie?"

A smile grew on her face, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!"

She saw the shudder that crossed his features. "What? Are you afraid of the oompa loompas?" She teasingly asked.

He looked at his hands which, to some extent, lay in his lap, "Maybe… okay! Yes, but who wouldn't be afraid of scary orange men?"

"A five year old?"

"Ha ha, Rory"

"I thought so… okay, what's your favorite movie then?"

"Psycho"

They continued back and forth like old friends until the night shift nurse came to announce that visiting hours were over. On her way out, she gave Tristan her business card, writing her personal number on the back. For if you ever get lonely, she had told him.

_B_ack at her apartment, Rory couldn't believe the night she had just had. Realizing that it was only 9:00, she called her mother.

"Hey, what's up kiddo?" Her mom had picked up on the second ring.

"Nothing really. Oh, hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"Mom, I said guess."

"Okay… uhm… your going to run off with Brad Pitt and have his babies in some African country?"

How ironic.

"No… I got a cover story!"

"Really honey? That's great! What's it about?"

"It's a human interest piece, really… it's about injured soldiers adjusting to life back home. And, guess who one of the soldiers is."

"Who?"

"Are we going to go over this again?"

"Fine… Tristan?"

Rory was shocked, "How did you know?"

"Process of elimination, honey. He was the only person we ever knew who was sent to military school. Hey… he doesn't happen to have an older brother and a younger brother, does he? Or two older or younger brothers, for that matter."

"No… why?"

"Oh… nothing." Her mother dismissed her comment.

"Mom." Rory replied, warningly.

"Well, you've seen _Legends of the Fall_… Tristan was Brad Pitt's character."

"And I'm sure the similarities stop at the fact that they both went to war."

"Whatever you say honey. Listen. I've got to go… Sookie's alone in the kitchen."

"Oh, yes, go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Mhmm, bye!"

"Bye."

Rory hung up the phone and continued getting ready for bed. Little did she know that across town, she was haunting someone else's dreams.

* * *

Okay, well, that's it for now. I'm going to try and get this done before school... but I just don't think that it'll happen. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always nice... but hey, I'm not going to complain if you review or not... God knows I never do... Review stories, that is. Oh, and if you ever get the chance, watch _Legends of the Fall_, it's a great movie. Long... but well worth it... 


	3. on their way

Okay, so, first off, I need to say that I love you all. Yes. Actually, that's all. Oh, besides the fact that you actually won't see much of her article in the story. That was actually just a way for them to meet again. It'll be mentioned, but never expanded on. Anyway, here's chapter three, enjoy!

* * *

The next day, Tristan awoke to the sound of Alexia coming in the room. Despite the fact that she was usually quiet when doing this, she made it her business to be extra loud and obnoxious today. After helping him out of the bed so she could change his sheets, she replaced his I.V... Whoever said that that would be the most painful part, lied. Pulling the chair up to the bed, the one Rory had occupied the night before, he noticed, she didn't waste anytime.

"Who was that girl?"

He tried avoiding her, "Don't you have other patients?"

"Tristan…" She said warningly.

"Mom…" he replied.

"Tristan Janlan DuGrey, who was that girl?"

"How did you find out my middle name?"

She held up his chart, but the question didn't stop her, "How do you know Miss Gilmore?"

"You remember her name?"

He was very skillful at the art of dodging a question. He had done it all his life with his father and Alexia was nothing compared to his father.

"Tristan, you will tell me how you know that girl or that I.V. will be ripped out of your arm and you'll have to do without pain medication."

"Is that what's in there?"

She moved her hand toward the needle in his hand. He was pretty sure she wouldn't do it… after all, it had to be against some hospital policy, but right now, he didn't want to mess with her.

To be honest, he liked his pain medication.

He sighed, "We went to high school together. I liked her a lot. But, I never really knew how to treat a crush… Instead, I just pissed her off, which resulted in her telling her boyfriend at the time that she hated me."

The two turned when they heard a gasp come from the door.

"You heard that!"

She looked like she was about to cry. Walking quickly into the room, she pulled another chair up to Tristan's bed. Taking his good hand into hers, she whispered, "You know I never hated you right?"

He looked away. "Sure, that's why you told Dean you did."

She continued holding his hand. It might have gone unnoticed by the two, but Alexia picked up on it.

"Tristan! I never hated you. You pissed me off, yes. Hell, if anything I liked you!"

Quietness came over the room.

Alexia was the first to break the silence.

"Well, I've more patients to see to. I'll see you to later, okay?"

It was at least another twenty minutes until Tristan spoke.

"You liked me?"

She had dropped his hand at some point and was now fascinated with her own that were now folded neatly in her lap.

"No. Like. Still do."

"What?"

"I still like you Tristan. When my boss told me the names of the people that I'd be interviewing, as soon as I heard your name, something came back to me… I didn't recognize it at first, but when I got home, I found an old Chilton yearbook, and, well… Everything came back."

"Everything?"

She smiled. "Romeo and Juliet, Madeline's Party, PJ Harvey… You know, I couldn't listen to PJ Harvey for three years without thinking of you?"

"Wow"

It was quiet again. Rory was the one to break the silence this time.

"I… I guess you don't feel the same. Well, I'll see you later, okay. After all, I still have to get this article done."

She got up the leave the room. She had just finished tying the sash on her Burberry trench when he spoke.

"Rory… Oh god… I can't believe it."

She turned. "Really, Tristan, you don't have to make me feel worse!"

Right as she finished saying that, she saw the anger in his eyes.

"Make you feel worse? Rory, god-damn it! I liked you all those years. Hell, I might have loved you at one point. Actually, I take that back. I still lik- no, love you."

She couldn't breathe. She tried to blame it on the fact that the sash around her waist was too tight, but she knew that wasn't the reason.

He couldn't believe it. He had finally told her his feelings. And now, here they sat, well okay, stood and laid, in silence.

She was biting her lip, unsure of what to do,

Little did she know the effect that had on him.

Finding his voice, he said, "Rory, c'mere"

As soon as she was close enough, he managed to pull her so that she was now sitting on the side of the bed. Barely managing to sit up, he kissed her with all he had. They continued to kiss until they heard a knock at the door.

"Excuse me, I'm Doctor Michaels, I'm a rehab specialist."

"Good Afternoon, Doctor," Tristan replied without an ounce of anger that the doctor had interrupted the best moment of his life.

Rory was still turned away from the doctor, staring intently out the window while still sitting on the bed.

"Well, I've come here to talk about your rehab," the doctor began, "after looking at your x-rays and charts, I've decided that after a week of intensive therapy, you'll probably be able to go home. However, you'd still have to continue rehab 5 days a week… Now, where are you from?"

"Connecticut… Hartford."

"Well, I know many doctors out there who are among the best. Would you like me to call them?"

Tristan looked around. His parents surely wouldn't take him in. That would mean that they'd have to come home from wherever they were in Europe at the moment.

"Actually, doctor, I was thinking about getting an apartment here in the city."

The doctor looked at Tristan. "I don't know if that's the best idea, Tristan. You still have a long way to go… Staying alone isn't the best idea."

"He can stay with me." Rory said, not only surprising the doctor and Tristan, but herself as well.

"I'm sorry," the doctor began, "I didn't catch your name."

She stuck her hand out for a handshake, "Rory Gilmore, nice to meet you."

"You too. Now, may I ask where you live?"

"Cascades Crossing in Sterling, Virginia… I'm on the second floor, but there is an elevator."

The doctor nodded, "Okay, well, Tristan will be released a week from tomorrow, depending on how therapy goes. After that, he'll attend rehab on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10 am for approximately the next 6 months. Is that a problem?"

Rory shook her head, "No, I work in the city."

"Good. I'll see you two later." And with that, the doctor was gone.

They sat in silence again. This was beginning to become a common occurrence between the two of them.

But for once, it was a slightly comfortable silence. As though they were enjoying being with one another. It didn't really matter if they were talking or not.

Rory had been studying Tristan for awhile. His features, once boyish and cocky, were now worn, tired even. It wasn't that he looked old… no, he still had the same boyish looks, but they were somewhat more mature, but not in the traditional definition 'mature' has.

_They were the features of someone who has seen more than they should in their years,_ she thought.

When Tristan, who had been quite interested in the pattern on the cream-colored blanket, looked up, he finally broke the silence.

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

She gave him a sweet smile, "I know… but I wanted to."

He returned her smile and with his one good arm, pulled her down so that she was now lying in the crook of his arm. She let her head fall to his shoulder and he placed his head atop of her hers.

"Do you have to be anywhere today?"

"No"

Right before they fell asleep, he heard her whisper, "This is nice."



The next week came and went for the young couple. Wait are they a couple? That was Rory's thought when she got home the night before Tristan was set to move it. She had seen him everyday for the past week and often stayed at the hospital for hours and a time, leaving only to do an interview or something like that. More often than not, she just brought her laptop along and did her work in his room.

So, it made sense that she considered them a couple… right?

She debated this for a few hours while preparing the apartment for Tristan. She never had much food in the house… she usually just ate out. So, after going grocery shopping, which was an adventure all in itself, she got to work on the apartment.

She had purchased new bedding for the guest room last week, but hadn't had the chance to put in on yet. Considering the old bedding was what Lorelai had given her for when Gigi stayed over, it was Barbie Swan Lake. For some reason, she didn't think Tristan would like that all too much. After fixing up the guest room, she moved on to other things in the house. She moved the living room furniture around so that it'd be easier for him to get around. When she finally managed to move the huge leather couch so that it was against the wall, she muttered, "If this isn't love, I don't know what is."

Wait. Love? The sentence stopped her in her tracks. Was she in love? Tristan had already told her that he loved her. But… did she love him. She sighed, there was no question that she did. She had known it the moment she saw him again. But the thought of it was scary. She had never been able to say 'I Love You' to a boyfriend until they had been dating for at least six months. And now, here she was, not even a week into a relationship, if that's what you could call it, and she was thinking about how she loved him.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Tristan's thoughts were just as crazy. His, though, weren't about whether or not he loved her. No, there was no question there. He has loved her since sophomore year of high school… Yet, he couldn't help but wonder why she was letting him stay with her. Was it just so that she got the most in-depth look for her article? _Living with an injured soldier would just make that article so much better, _he thought, bitterly.

That night, both settled into a restless sleep, anticipating what was to come the next day.



She hadn't really needed to set an alarm clock. She had been up at 5 am anyway. After showering, she threw her hair up into a ponytail and applied a light amount of make up. She had thrown on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved black t shirt before putting on her trench coat. Normally, she always wore a pair of heels; after all, she never knew who she might run into. But, after thinking it over, she realized that wearing a pair of heels while helping a man, who is easily 60 pounds heavier than you and who has multiple leg injuries, isn't the best idea.

Grabbing the Nordstrom's bag that was sitting by the door, she ran to her car. Looking at her watch, she realized that she was already 10 minutes late. _Impossible_, she thought, _I've been up for hours!_

At the hospital, Tristan had been sitting, okay, lying in bed since at least 5: 30 this morning. He probably would have been up earlier had it not been for the fact that physical therapy tired him out so much. Currently, it was 9:30 and he was talking to Alexia.

"So," she began, "are you excited?"

"For what?"

"Living with the love of your life!" she exclaimed with a flourish.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, be that way." She teased.

Alexia had constantly surprised him over the course of the week and a half he as at the hospital. She was quiet and motherly with him most of the time and others, she was like an older sister to him. He actually thought it was rather great, seeing as his biological mother never talked to him and he didn't have any siblings.

After talking for a few more minutes, Alexia saw him look at the clock.

"Don't worry about that," she assured him, "traffic is horrendous, she's probably stuck in it somewhere."

He only nodded in agreement.

At fifteen past ten, Rory came running into the room. Out of breath, she apologized.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I was late leaving and then I got stuck in this huge traffic jam. There was this idiot semi truck driver who couldn't seem to stay in his lane. Thus, I had to stay about a mile behind him so that I wouldn't get in an accident. Then, oh and this is the best part, they have most of the streets surrounding the hospital closed because the President is visiting the children's ward. Now, don't get me wrong, I love children, but today?..."

He laughed as she continued her rant. Motioning for her to come closer, he gave her a chaste kiss.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?" She had stopped ranting by this point.

"Let's go."

"Okay, where's the doctor? I have to sign you out."

Right then, two doctors walked through the door. The first was Tristan's physical therapist, Dr. Michaels. The other was his physician while he was here, Dr. Cartier. After talking the two of them through what they could expect over the next six months or so, they allowed Tristan to sign his release papers.

Noticing that he still had the hospital gown on, Rory remembered the Nordstrom's bag.

"Oh, wait," she said, "I bought you some clothes. I didn't think you'd want to wear the gown out."

Tristan looked down at his current outfit and laughed, "Yeah, thanks, I kinda forgot I was wearing it."

Helping him to stand up, the doctors escorted him to the bathroom door and instructed him to use the hand rails to help him steady himself. They also told him to call for help if he needed it.

Once he was in the bathroom, he dumped the contents of the bag onto the counter by the sink. He noticed that she had picked out a pair of jeans with a wider leg. To accommodate his cast, he figured. He also couldn't help but notice that the jeans were 7 For All Mankind. He knew those weren't cheap. He could also tell the shirt wasn't cheap either. It was a blue Lacoste polo. After pulling the white undershirt she had included over his head, he attempted the same with the polo. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to do it, he called out for her.

"Rory"

She was in the bathroom in a second.

"Are you okay?" She asked. He could see by her expression that she was truly worried about him. He liked knowing that. Besides Alexia and his late Grandfather, no one had really cared or worried about him. He liked the feeling. He liked knowing that there was someone who would always be there for him.

Helping him with the polo, she saw him wince and whispered 'sorry'. She mentally chided herslef for not buying the button down shirt instead.

Before she could leave the bathroom, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into him for a hug.

"Thank you," he said.

"No problem," she replied with a smile, leaving the bathroom.

After brushing his teeth, and thinking that she had though of everything he could need,he hobbledhis way out of the bathroom andsaw the wheelchair waiting for him.

"No," was the first word out of his mouth.

"Yes," came from the rest of the group.

Sighing, he knew he would lose. Sitting down in the chair, it felt, in an odd way, good to be sitting in an upright position. Biding the doctors' goodbye, Rory pushed Tristan out of the room.

After stopping by the nurses' station to say goodbye to Alexia, and promising her that they'd visit sometime in the near future, they were on their way...

On their way to a life together…

* * *

Oh lord. Three down... many more to go. I hope you all liked it! 


	4. an elevator, flat tire & police officer

Oh, I still love you all. A whole lot let me tell you. And, without further ado, chapter four…

_**-start-**_

To say that life was easy would be a lie. To say that life was uneventful would be an even bigger lie.

Rory sighed as she looked in the mirror. She looked absolutely horrible. Rubbing her temples, she tried to relieve the headache that was currently jack-hammering her brain. The day's events flooded back to her…

The car ride was least uneventful. Really, she was thanking God that she had borrowed her neighbor's SUV. Her little BMW would have added to the hell that was the past 24 hours. She hadn't really thought about the fact that Tristan's legs, even more so in the cast, were much longer than hers.

However, things didn't just go downhill from there. No, they jumped off a cliff. And then, they decided that skydiving would be a nice thing to do – sans parachute.

And that was putting things lightly.

When they had reached the apartment complex, they saw the repairman fixing the elevator. Leaving Tristan in the car, she walked over to him.

"Excuse me," she said, tapping the man on the shoulder.

"Yes?"

"When can I expect the elevator to be fixed?"

The man turned, "Honey, you're young enough, walk up the stairs."

She stared incredulously at him. Putting her hands on her hips, she said, "Yes, I may be young enough. Not that it's any of your business though. However, I have a friend of mine in the car and while he's young, he's just come back from Iraq with multiple injuries. Now, really, I don't think he's going to be climbing the stairs anytime soon."

The repairman looked at her. "Give me twenty minutes."

She smiled, "Thank you"

Going back to the car, she had jumped into the driver's seat.

Giving him a smile, she said, "We're going to take a around the block. You know, get you acclimated to what's around."

He smirked at her, "Elevator broken?"

"It won't be in twenty minutes."

They had continued to drive around town with Rory pointing out places that Tristan might need. The Walgreen's and CVS topped the list, to be completely honest.

Rory laughed thinking about the days' events. To tell you the truth, at this point in time, that's all she could do…

She had just pulled into the parking lot of the local grocery store when the felt the car get lower on one side.

"Oh no, no, no, no…" She had cried.

Getting out of the car, she saw that one of her back tires was flat. Poking her head in the car she told Tristan to wait. _What else am I going to d_o, he had thought to himself.

Running inside the grocery store, she went to customer service, only to be greeted by a line of 20 people.

_Wonderful_, she thought.

After waiting in the awful line for 45 minutes, she gave up. Walking back outside, she pulled out her cell phone. Dialing her neighbor's number, she waited for him to pick up.

"Hello," came the voice on the other end.

"Marty?" She must have sounded quite desperate.

"Rory? What's wrong?"

All he caught in between the slight hysterics were 'tire' flat' and 'grocery store'.

"Where are your car keys?" he asked. Both had keys to the other's apartment, in case of emergencies like this.

"On the kitchen counter"

"Okay, Rory, stay there, I'll be there in 5."

"Thanks Marty", she said. It was the first thing she had said the entire conversation that wasn't marred by hysterics.

It took Marty 6 minutes and 13 seconds to reach Rory. She would know. She counted each and every second. She also yelled at him for the 1 minute and 13 seconds that he wasn't there.

After that, it took the two of them 3 minutes to get Tristan out of the car and into some sort of sitting position on a bench in front of the store.

Unfortunately, getting the tire changed was the harder part. Seeing as though they were only 5 minutes from home, Marty put the spare tire on and figured he'd take the car to the shop the next day.

Rory, on the other hand, felt immensely sorry for this and apologized profusely. Marty tried to tell her that is was no big deal. He'd meant to get the oil changed, after all. Not believing him, Rory made him promise that he'd let her pay for whatever needed to be fixed – oil included. Knowing that she wouldn't let it go, he acquiesced.

Pulling back into the parking lot of the apartment complex, Rory began to groan as she saw the elevator – and the repairman.

"You have to be fucking kidding me!" She mumbled under her breath.

"Woah, Mary, its okay." He wasn't being sarcastic. Really, he felt bad for her. Here she was, taking time out of her obviously busy schedule to help him. Reaching over, he grabbed her hand and lightly caressed it. "I'm sorry."

She turned her head, shocked, "Why?"

He cast his eyes downward, "Because you are going through all of this trouble for me when you really don't have to."

She gave him an odd look, "You're my boyfriend… I'm supposed to take care of you."

He gave her a weak smile, "If that's what you want."

She returned the smile, "It's what I want."

Getting out of the car, she saw Marty pull her 650i in behind his Compass. They really were quite the couple when it came to cars… his rugged SUV and her smooth coupe.

He laughed when he saw her scowling at the repairman, "You know… I'm sure they've got a dolly somewhere… We could just strap him on and wheel him up."

It got a small laugh out of Rory and a "Not funny!" from Tristan who had opened the car door at that point in the conversation.

Rory bit her lip, "The hospital gave us a wheelchair… Think we could get him up the stairs that way?"

Marty shrugged, "It's worth a shot."

Tristan looked a little scared, "Uh, yeah… do I get a say in this?"

Rory raised her eyebrows as she looked at him, "Honestly?"

He nodded.

"Not really."

"Thanks"

"Anytime"

With the help of Marty, Rory had managed to get Tristan into the wheelchair. With Tristan somewhat secured, they wheeled him to the stairs. With Rory on one end and Marty on the other, they lifted the chair and proceeded to slowly walk up the stairs. About 20 minutes later, they made it to the landing.

"13 down, 13 to go" Rory said, referring to the stairs.

They continued their crab walk up the stairs. Reaching the top, they gave one another a high five and turned to Tristan.

"That wasn't that bad, now was it?" Rory said to a scared Tristan.

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, I'm just glad that it took two Ivy-league educated people to figure out what to do."

"Shut up."

"Mature, they teach you that at Yale?" Tristan teased Rory.

After helping Rory settle Tristan into her apartment, Marty left.

Rory assisted Tristan so that he was now in a half sitting, half lying position on her couch. Walking into the kitchen, she yelled, "Are you hungry?"

"Kind of," he replied, "What do you have?"

He heard a laugh followed by a thump on the floor. Trying to see into the kitchen, he almost fell off the couch, "Are you okay?"

The laughing continued. Soon, he heard a strained, "Yes". Rory was still laughing when she walked back into the living room.

She continued laughing as he pulled her to the couch and adjusted himself so that she was leaning against his side.

"What's so funny?"

"You thinking that I had edible food in the house!"

"And, that's funny how?"

She shook her head, "I don't think I've ever actually been grocery shopping for anything other than junk food. Right now, all I have in the cupboard is two bags of Sun Chips – Harvest Cheddar and Salsa, and a bag of Red Vines. Take your pick."

He stared at her. "Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Yep!" She was quite proud of the fact… after all, she had grown up with less in the cupboards.

"That can't be healthy." He said.

"Hey! I turned out just fine and it's how I grew up."

"Can you tell me your definition of fine?"

"HEY!"

They fell into a comfortable silence. Both liked how they could do that without anything becoming awkward. They lay there together, cuddled on the couch, until they heard their stomachs growl simultaneously.

"Well, your choice, pizza or Thai?"

"Pizza, definitely pizza."

"Toppings?"

"Meat. A lot of meat."

"My kind of guy!" Rory said, while picking up her phone.

After calling the Pizzeria, she settled back into a sitting position next to Tristan. Allowing him to stretch his body, he laid length wise on the couch, his head resting in Rory's lap.

"Pizza should be here in 45 minutes." She said, playing with his hair. There wasn't much there, but it was more grown out than it had been a month prior.

Remembering that he spoke Italian, she asked, "Tell me something in Italian."

"Like what?"

"I don't know… you must know some kind of children's story or something."

"Okay"

"In questa casa molti anni fa un certo Tom Riddle e i suoi genitori sono stati trovati morti. Frank Bryce, il giardiniere, è stato sospettato dell'omicidio, ma quando l'autopsia non ha trovato traccia di violenza (i Riddle sono semplicemente morti di morte improvvisa) è stato rilasciato. Bryce si occupa ancora della abbandonata Riddle House. Abbandonata? Non completamente. Riddle origlia una conversazione fra il cattivo per eccellenza della saga di Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort (ancora parzialmente privo di corpo), il suo accolito Wormtail e il serpente Nagini. Essi hanno ucciso una certa Bertha Jorkins, e discutono i loro piani per uccidere anche Harry Potter. Nagini si accorge della presenza di Bryce, e Voldemort lo uccide. A questo punto, il lettore può pensare che Tom Riddle sia un personaggio senza importanza, e che Voldemort abbia semplicemente scelto una qualunque casa abbandonata."

She laughed. "Tristan! That's just sad. That was a spark notes version of Harry Potter!"

"You understood?"

"Not at all… but one should know the name Harry Potter. And, that wasn't near long enough to be the entire story!"

"You're right… That was a summary of the first chapter of The Goblet of Fire."

She continued to laugh, "Why do you know that?"

"My senior year we had to summarize, in Italian, the first chapter of a book. I chose Harry Potter."

"You're dumb, you know that."

He cuddled closer to her and wrapped his arms around her body, "Yes… but you love me for it."

She sighed and let her head rest on his shoulder, "Yes… Yes I do."

Now, one might be saying that that day wasn't that bad. After all… what's a flat tire? Ah, but the day isn't even close to being over yet…

When the pizza arrived, Rory had to untangle herself from Tristan and find her purse… which was a challenge all in its own. The delivery guy was ringing the doorbell incessantly and it was bordering, actually, never mind it was obnoxious.

When she walked by the couch that Tristan was now sprawled out on, she felt him grab her wrist and pull her down to his level. Placing a hand on her cheek, he whispered "Thank you" and placed an innocent kiss on her lips. Giving him a smile, she got up thinking that this kid was going to get no tip. At all, whatsoever…

However, there wasn't a kid on the other side of the door.

Unlocking the door, she pulled it open.

"Dean?"

The delivery boy's eyebrows went up, "Rory… how nice to see you."

"How… how… how long have you been in Virginia?"

"Three weeks. Lindsay has family down here."

Rory managed a weak smile, "Oh". Taking the pizza from his hands, she gave him the money and tried to shut the door. For once, his stature was an advantage. He managed to hold the door open.

"Wait… don't you want to catch up?"

"No… No, not really" she answered a little too quickly.

They both heard the voice from the living room.

"Rory, anything the matter?"

"No… no Tristan, I'll be there in a minute."

She turned her attention, however little of it she was currently devoting to the situation, back to Dean.

"Well, I really must be going."

"Tristan, huh? The accountant or another Tristan."

"No… same Tristan."

"Why are you with that ass."

"He's a better man than you could ever dream to be."

Dean laughed, "I doubt that."

This, to be frank, pissed Rory off, "No, he is." And with that she slammed the door in his face.

Walking back into the living room, she placed the pizza on the coffee table and walked into her kitchen to get some plates and drinks. When she returned, he saw that she had animal character plates and juice boxes.

"Uh, Mare… what's with the plates?"

"Oh!" She said, finally realizing the plates. "They're for when my little sisters visit."

"good to know. Little sisters?"

"Part of my messed up family. Gigi is 5. Annabelle is 3. Gigi is my father's and Sherry's daughter… Annabelle is my mom and dad's."

"I'm not even gonna ask."

She laughed, "Yeah, good idea."

They continued to sit and eat pizza and talk. About halfway into the night, they heard a knock at the door.

A police officer stood at the other side.

"Lorelai Gilmore?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"You are under arrest for the assault of Dean Forrester."

"What the Hell?"

"Ma'am, please, you'll need to come with me."

"Please, let me grab my purse."

"You won't need it."

"Officer, really, is this necessary?"

"I'm sorry, but it is."

"Tristan!" she yelled, "I have to run out… I'll be back soon."

"Okay!", he yelled not suspecting anything.

It was 10:15 when Rory returned that night after having to call Marty to bail her out. She had only been gone an hour and 45 minutes and returned to a distraught Tristan.

"Where the hell were you?" he demanded.

"Jail."

"Really Rory, now isn't the time to joke."

"I'm not joking."

"What?"

"Dean had me arrested for assaulting him. Apparently, by slamming the door in his face, I broke his nose..." Tristan could have sworn he heard _serves him right_ muttered under her breath.

There was nothing Tristan could do besides laugh. Sitting up on the couch, he pulled patted the spot next to him.

"Oh, Rory." He said as he pulled her into a hug. He couldn't help but notice her yawn.

"Tired?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go to bed… Speaking of which… where is my bed?"

"Room on the left… but, would you mind spending the night with me?"

He smiled, "Not at all."

Letting him lean on her shoulder, they managed to reach the master bedroom in 8 minutes. After helping Tristan with his clothes, Rory entered to bathroom.

(Just so you know… this is where the chapter started…)

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she put on a pair of what she considered to be 'old' Yale sweats. Returning to her bedroom, she assumed that Tristan was already fast asleep. Lying down next to his sleeping figure, she placed her head on his bare chest. Wrapping an arm around his stomach, she felt his arm pull her closer to him.

"Love you Rory…" she heard him mumble.

"Love you too, Tris, love you too" she replied before falling into a deep sleep.

_**-end-**_

Four done... and hopefully many more to go. But, alas, I'm starting a new job next week and school so updates will definitely be few and far between. :(


	5. a fondue date

OKAY, anything I said in the first chapter, you can ignore… Logan is going to exist along with some of Tristan's exes. This chapter is about going to be seven months in the future… Basically, it's going to be what the country thought of Rory's article and the final outcome of Tristan's physical therapy. Plus, you know, a few other surprises. Let's put it this way, the rating is not going to stay the same. Oh, and its December in this chapter. I don't think I clarified the time in the other chapters. And, and I swear that this is the last thing, I have at least five more chapters planned... wish list anyone? What would you like to see happen?

**_-Chapter Five-_**

"Congratulations, Tristan" The doctor said as Tristan finished walking 100 meters without assistance. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"I'm done?" Tristan asked. His face resembled a kid's on Christmas.

The doctor laughed, "Done? Not quite. But this does mean that we only have to meet once a week now."

"Really?" The little kid inside of Tristan had yet to go away.

"Yes."

He couldn't help it, with the energy he had left; he walked up to the doctor and wrapped him in a huge hug. "Thank you so much."

The doctor returned the gesture, "Your welcome, Tristan."

After learning different stretches, Tristan was allowed to leave. Walking into the waiting room, he found that Rory was already there, talking animatedly on her cell.

"Yes!"

"I know!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Tristan laughed, it had to be Lorelai on the other end. He had met her two months ago when she had come down to visit and took an immediate liking to her. He saw Rory's eyes grow and knew that she had noticed that he was walking by himself.

"Mom? I've got to go." She said while snapping the phone shut. Within seconds, she was in Tristan's arms.

"Oh my god!" she said, but it was muffled by his chest. "I'm so proud!" It was the first time that they had truly hugged and Tristan was leaning on her. She felt his chest shake with a chuckle.

"Oh Mary, have I told you that I love you today?"

She smiled, "Nope."

"Well, I do. A lot. I love you Rory Gilmore."

"I love you too, Tristan DuGrey."

She was shocked by how easy it was to tell him that she loved him. With Dean, Jess and Logan, it had been months before she even considered it… even longer until she had spoken the words. Sure, if they fell asleep she would mumble it before succumbing to sleep… But with Tristan, she knew not even 3 months into their relationship. It felt comfortable, and that was how Rory knew that it was right.

Walking distances obviously still tired Tristan out, because as soon as they reached her car, he was out like a light. He looked cute though, she thought, all curled up in the seat. Stopping at a red light, she took the time to look at him. She loved how peaceful he looked when he slept.

Pulling into the parking lot, she gently shook him to wake him up.

Seeing that he finally opened his eyes, she asked, "Ready to brave the stairs? Or, are we sticking to the elevator?"

Giving her a sleepy grin, he said, "elevator… for today, at least."

"Okay."

With his arm slung over her shoulder, they walked to the lobby. Waiting for the elevator to reach the floor, she leaned into his chest. Hearing the 'ding' of the elevator, they got on and she pressed the '1' on the wall. Rory walked back over to Tristan and he pulled her into a hug. They stayed that way until the elevator 'dinged' again and walked to her apartment.

Tristan walked to the couch and sprawled out. Rory sat down at the kitchen table and checked her email. The last part of her article had come out two days ago and she had yet to receive anything from Frederick. It worried her. Suddenly, a pop up came up saying that she had received a message.

Clicking the 'check' button, she saw that the email was from Frederick. With a little bit of apprehension, she opened the email.

All that was written was: My office, 2:30.

Swallowing, this only made her even more nervous. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was 12:30. If she was going to make it to Frederick's office in time, she'd have to leave around 1:15 so that she could allow for lunchtime traffic. Looking over at the couch, she realized that Tristan was sleeping again. She knew that he felt bad for sleeping all the time, but she wanted him to get better. And, to be honest, she didn't care how long it took, just that he got better.

Pulling on a black turtleneck, she grabbed a pair of grey dress pants. Fixing her hair so that it was in a classy ponytail, she clasped a platinum and diamond necklace that Tristan had bought for her for their six month anniversary that was about a month ago. She didn't know how he bought it without her noticing, but she loved how excited he was when he gave it to her.

She smiled remembering that night and walked back into the foyer. Peaking into the living room she saw that Tristan was still asleep. She didn't know why he liked that couch so much. She found it to be incredibly uncomfortable. She had bought it right when she moved to Washington and when she was on a budget. But now, even though she could afford a new one, she knew that she could never part with it. She wished that he would move into the bedroom, after all, the bed was much more comfortable and better for his back. However, he claimed it wasn't and except for at night, when they were cuddled together in bed, he was always on that couch. She couldn't blame him though; the physical therapy took so much out of him.

She left a note on the end table next to the couch that told him where she was. After getting into her car, she drove into Washington. Pulling into the Time Magazine parking garage, she felt her stomach sink. The first articles received rave reviews, but then the last one was met with some aggression. Although, not because it was a bad article, no it was because of a recent decision that the President and Congress had made. No, the last article just came out at a bad time. She began chewing her lip as soon as she made it to the hallway where Frederick's office was. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, she didn't know which; the office was at the end of the hallway. Letting out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding, she knocked on the door.

"Come in"

She opened the door slowly, almost hesitantly.

"It's Lorelai."

"Ahh, take a seat."

Rory sat. She contemplated biting her finger nails she was so nervous but decided that that would be rather unprofessional. Finally, she just folded her hands in her lap.

"So, Lorelai, I assume that you know why you are here?"

She only managed a weak nod.

"Well, as you are very well aware, part six of your article came out three days ago. I want to read you a letter we received."

Frederick read the letter. It wasn't long, but it made Rory cry.

"Wow" was all she could say.

"Yes, wow. Lorelai, newsstands are selling out of the magazine. Billing just called, our circulation is up 45 in the last three days. Right before billing called, I was on the phone with FOX news and CNN. They both want to interview you."

Rory couldn't believe it. She'd gone from a spellchecker basically to being interviewed by major news networks. She was nothing short of amazed.

"To be perfectly honest with you," Frederick continued, "I think you need a vacation. Your interviews are planned for January 5th with CNN and January 12th with FOX news. Why don't you take the time until then to rest?"

"A vacation?" she asked meekly.

"Precisely"

"Oh. Wow, thank you Frederick."

"Your welcome, Lorelai… Really, you've done a great job. In fact, I can picture you sitting in this office… many years from now, of course."

"Because you'll never retire?" She joked with him.

"Yes."

She laughed again. "Have a nice day Frederick."

"You too Lorelai"

Rory couldn't believe it. She felt like skipping. And if it wasn't for the stiletto heels that she was wearing, she would have.

When she got back to the apartment, she found Tristan awake, sitting at the counter in the kitchen eating what looked to be a bowl of Lucky Charms.

He hadn't heard her come in due to the fact that he had the stereo on. Walking up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt him jump a bit in surprise.

"Hey, how was your meeting?" he asked, turning around and giving her a quick kiss.

"Great!"

"Really? Your note sounded…" he couldn't find the right word.

"Like I was scared?" she asked him.

"Yeah… I guess."

"Well, it's good news."

"And?"

She was about to tell him when she got an idea.

"Why don't we go out? I promise it's something to celebrate about. Plus, we have to celebrate the fact that you are almost done with therapy."

He shrugged, "okay".

She walked into the bathroom to get ready for their date. Tristan had said that he'd make reservations. After all, it took him 20 minutes to get ready compared to her hour and a half. Walking into the walk in closet, she grabbed a black 40's inspired dress. It had short sleeves and a v neck. Polka dots added to the vintage feel of the dress. After taking a shower, she decided that she was feeling rather… decadent tonight. Grabbing a strapless lace bra and matching panty, she put those on. She wrapped her bathrobe around her and proceeded to do her hair. Her most recent haircut had left her with hair that reached just below her shoulders and bangs that swooped to one side. After blowing it dry, she curled it into loose ringlets. She decided against eye shadow for the evening and instead used mascara and kohl liner to make her eyes dark. The pale blue of her eyes stood out even more. Applying her favorite red lipstick, she applied a clear gloss over it. She pulled her dress on and stopped by her closet to grab a pair of shoes. She thought for a while and decided that a pair of red heels would make the outfit look even better. Taking her leather Coach purse from the dresser she walked out into the living room. Tristan, as per usual, was sitting on the couch waiting for her. At the time, he looked rather enamored with what was playing on the screen. Smoothing her dress out with her hands, she sat down next to him. He still hadn't noticed her.

"What are you watching?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, it's –" he stopped, "Wow… you look amazing."

She felt herself blush, "Why thank you… you don't look bad yourself."

He had on a black suit with a black shirt and red tie. Obviously, they were both thinking on the same wavelength tonight.

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her off the couch and towards the door. After pulling on his own coat, he helped her into hers. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her to the car.

Rory knew he loved this car. And she figured, why not? Taking the keys out of her purse, she placed them in his hand.

His face lit up. Giving her the biggest smile ever, he opened the passenger's side door for her and helped her in. He'd of liked to jog to the other side… but they both knew that that was not going to happen. Sitting in the drivers' seat he felt… exhilarated. It was a great feeling. Putting the car in reverse, he quickly backed out of the parking spot. Giving Rory a mischievous smile, he put the car in drive and pressed the gas pedal to the ground.

Now, normally it took Rory about 45 minutes to get to her favorite restaurant seeing that it was in the middle of the city. And, anyone who has lived in Washington D.C. knows that the traffic is pretty bad… on a good day. But, for the first time, they made it to the restaurant in 25 minutes. It either says something for Tristan's driving skills or that they sped the entire time.

It had just snowed in Washington and Rory's stiletto's were not ideal. So, like out of a historical romance story, she tucked her hand into Tristan's elbow to steady herself. After almost pulling him down with her, they reached the restaurant door. Being as it was one of the hottest restaurants in the city, Rory was amazed that they got reservations on such short notice. They were seated at one of the best tables in the house, and Rory knew that Tristan, no matter how much he hated to do it, had used his last name as leverage. She knew that he did it to make her happy. The restaurant specialty was fondue and Rory was not going to let the chance pass. It was, of course, the only time that she actually cooked her own food.

They had an appetizer of cheese and bread and followed that with an entrée of chicken and beef.. There were also potatoes and vegetables. And, like any woman would, Rory did not leave without eating most of the chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, pineapple and pretzels.

Tristan paid the bill and once again helped Rory into her coat and into the car. About halfway home, he pulled into the parking lot of playground.

Rory looked at him, confused, "What are we doing here?"

Tristan was already out of the car and she saw that he was now opening her door for her. As he offered her his hand, she repeated her question. Giving her a sly smile, he just said, "You'll just have to see."

_**-end of chapter five-**_

Oh, that's it for now… a semi-cliff hanger! I'm so proud of myself! I never done that before. So I assume you know what I'm going to ask…

How'd you like it?

-cj

P.S. I KNOW! NO DISCLAIMER HUH? Okay here it is… I own absolutely nothing besides… the characters that you've never heard of before this story. Hell, I don't own the car (though, I'd like to…), the dress (which, in real life, is gorgeous and available at Nordstrom's… and no, I'm not being paid for saying that), Chad (but, I'm rather close in age to that Kenzie girl… so maybe I still have a chance!) or anything else. Bye!


	6. what happens in the park

So, oh, my god, it's been forever. Almost 6 months, but, I'm not going to let myself feel bad about that one. No, I'm not,

Okay, I'm sorry! Please forgive me darlings. It's been a crazy time these last six months. A new job, a new school year, pretty sure possibly falling in love (and then out of it) is up there, taking the SATs and ACTs, visiting colleges. Craziness, I tell you. Craziness. But, I'd be lying to tell you that I've hated it. Now, I've procrastinated for six months… and that, my dears, is definitely long enough!

But first, a recap, seeing as it's been forever!

Oh, and this chapter is where it probably… er, no it does, turn to R, so read halfway through the chapter and skip the rest if you aren't comfortable.

* * *

_Tristan paid the bill and once again helped Rory into her coat and into the car. About halfway home, he pulled into the parking lot of playground._

_Rory looked at him, confused, "What are we doing here?"_

_Tristan was already out of the car and she saw that he was now opening her door for her. As he offered her his hand, she repeated her question. Giving her a sly smile, he just said, "You'll just have to see."_

"Tris? Where are we going? It's cold." Rory asked (and stated the obvious, in Tristan's opinion).

"Patience, love, is a virtue."

"Well, it's not one of mine."

"You've made that quite clear, darling." Tristan replied in a slow drawl. Seeing a swing set in the distance, he guided her to it. Brushing the snow off of the cold rubber seats, he sat down and pulled her onto the one next to him.

"I've always loved the swings, you know?" He asked, but continued, not waiting for an answer, "They… they always seemed to kind of be representative of your dreams. You can go as high as the clouds…"

She was giving him a weird look at this point.

"You know, during Chilton, I always used to go to Hartford Park and sit on the swings for hours at a time. Most of the time I was supposed to be in school… And, I have to say that this relationship has kind of been like those times on the swings. I… I… well…" he fumbled for the pocket in the lining of his coat. "Here." He said, placing a small, leather bound book in her hands.

Opening the book, she saw September 7th, 2001 written in his characteristic chicken scratch handwriting. Underneath that was written: THE DAY I MET YOU. As she turned the pages, she saw more dates and events that they had shared. Madeline's Party, the would be P.J. Harvey tickets, the program from Romeo and Juliet. Then, the dates that had happened in the last seven months. Their reunion, 6th month anniversary, the first time they… leave it to Tristan to include that, she thought.

But, it was the last page that caught her attention.

It had today's date written on it. A dash and then the word "forever". But nothing was written beneath that. Turning back to Tristan, she saw that he was now on one knee in the snow.

"Oh!" she gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

"Rory, will you marry me?"

"Oh my god, yes!" And with that, she threw herself at him. Not caring that she was definitely ruining her dress, shoes and coat in the process or that it had begun snowing again. She kissed him with all that she had and he more than definitely returned the sentiment.

When they had realized that neither of them could feel most of their extremities, they walked back to the car. Taking a pen out of her glove compartment, he wrote _the day I proposed _underneath the date. Flipping the book to one of the last pages, he untied a ring from the ribbon that usually serves as a bookmark. Slipping it on her finger, it was by far the happiest day of his life.

She didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the mix of the heat blasting through the car's vents onto their frozen skin or maybe it was the fact that she was getting married to Tristan DuGrey, the love of her life.

But she was incredibly turned on at this moment in time.

As soon as they had reached her apartment door, she was already unbuttoning his wet shirt. Hearing it slap onto the foyer floor as they slowly made their way to the bedroom, kissing and caressing one another, just seemed to turn her on more. By they time they had made it to the bedroom all that was left of their clothing was Tristan's boxers and Rory's bra, panties and stilettos.

Pushing him onto the bed, she was carefully not to hurt him. But the look in his eyes told him that she couldn't. Straddling him across the middle, she slowly placed kisses down his face, neck and chest before reaching his bellybutton. Here, she slowed her pace, placing tantalizingly slow kisses from him bellybutton down. Taking his shorts off as she went, she was surprised to find how hard he already was. Grinding against him, she squealed in surprise as he flipped them over, so that she was on bottom now.

He took special care, as she had with him, not to miss lavishing attention on a square inch of her body. Unclasping her bra with practiced ease, he focused his attention on her breasts, which in his opinion were perfect (and that's all that matters) before moving on. After removing the lacy underwear, he moved to take off her shoes, but that proved to be too hard with his shaky hands.

He hadn't been this nervous since his first time – when he was 14.

But this was Rory. And this wasn't just sex. They had had that before – earlier on in their relationship. No this was love. And it scared him to death.

Sensing was he was feeling, Rory surprised him (and herself for that matter) when she flipped them back over so that he was on bottom. Before he could do anything else, she had taken him into her and the bliss was too much for either of them. Rocking their hips back and forth in synchronization, they came together.

Rolling off of him, she barely had enough energy to remove her shoes before falling a sleep, buried in his side.

* * *

Oh, I'm sorry, that's it for now, folks. And I promise, no more 6 month breaks. 


	7. tulle, glitter, flowers & getting it on

Don't complain yet. At least it hasn't been six months.

And, a general piece of information: artistic license is artistic license. If I want to mix 8,000 languages together in one sentence, I can. And, if you'd like to correct me, make sure you're correcting me in the correct language. Latin is not the same as Spanish.

But, this skips about a year into the future. The wedding is in 3 weeks.

* * *

November 10, 2009

"TRISTAN!"

Yelling from the kitchen was Rory's favorite new thing to do. Ever since they had bought their house 2 months ago, she loved being able to yell for him.

When she wasn't paging him on the intercom system, that is.

A tired, rumpled looking Tristan emerged through the entry way of the kitchen. Pajama pants slung low on his hips and an old ARMY shirt on, he was rubbing his eyes. She saw him glance at the clock on the microwave and knew she had it coming.

He sat down across from her at the kitchen table.

"Rory, I love you to death, but it is 6 am. On a Saturday. What happened to the girl I love that would never be up before 11 on a Saturday?"

"Well, you asked me to marry you. You should have known that being the perfectionist I am would result in these early morning wake up calls. Especially when the wedding is in 3 weeks. THREE!" she exclaimed the last word with a flourish, waving her hand in the air.

The only response he gave was a grunt and his head falling onto the table.

* * *

Later that day, they were at the elder Gilmore's house in Hartford finishing a tasting with the caterers. They (or Rory, really) had chosen a salad with house dressing, an Italian Wedding Soup, and an option of filet mignon or chicken Oscar for the main entrée. The wedding cake was chocolate with a coffee cream frosting (as per Lorelai's suggestion). There was still more to choose, such as the signature drink that Emily insisted be made for the two (at this point, Tristan had suggested anything with enough alcohol to knock an elephant out with) and whether they wanted chocolate or Jordanian almonds at the tables.

After biding Emily goodbye, the almost married couple parted ways. Tristan went off to the tailors for a final fitting of his and the groomsmen's tuxedos and Rory went for a final fitting of her dress and the bridesmaids and Lorelai's mother of the bride dress.

* * *

At the tailors:

Tristan was the last to arrive. As he entered the room, he saw Marty (of whom he had become great friends with through Rory), Logan (a childhood friend and heir to the Huntzburger fortune), Dave (Lane, Rory's best friend, husband) and James, his younger brother and best man. All already had their tuxes on and looked amazing… Well, at least, that's what he would have thought if he was gay. The wedding colors were all shades of blue, and they had on black tuxes with dark, dark blue vests and silky silver ties. It sounded odd, when Rory first suggested it, but it looked great. Tristan, on the other hand, would be wearing the same, only with a silver handkerchief in his chest pocket. The boutonnières would be a creamy white rose.

"So, Tristan…" Logan began, "did you ever think you'd end up marrying your Mary when you were in high school?"

Tristan grinned. "Married? That wasn't normally on my mind in high school. What I thought about Mary in high school wasn't as… chivalrous."

The rest of the guys laughed. The rest of the time was spent talking about how crazy the Ohio State and Michigan game was (even though none of them had ever attended either school, it was still tradition for them to watch the popular rivalry) and how Harvard & Yale's rivalry should be just as popular.

Meanwhile, at another tailor across town, where the ladies are:

"OH. MY. GOD. Rory, you look amazing!" Lane gushed as Rory stepped out of the dressing room. Her dress was a dazzling white, strapless with beading covering the bodice. The skirt flowed out from there, ending in a four-foot train. She also wore a tiara with a veil that came to the small of her back. It was simple, yet undeniably gorgeous.

Rory blushed as she complimented the girls back on their dresses. As promised when they were five, Lane was her matron of honor. Paris, Stephanie (a friend from Yale) and Madeline were her bridesmaids. The dresses were gorgeous and fit all the girls' body types to a 't'.

After all, Lane was at least 5 inches shorter than the next girl, Stephanie was built like a supermodel, Paris (surprisingly enough) had no problems and Madeline was going to be 6 months pregnant by the time the wedding happened.

They were strapless, made of dark blue chiffon with layers of various other shades of blue underneath. Silver ribbons tied around the ribcage created an empire waist effect.

Gigi and Annabelle wore similar dresses, only as the flower girls, their's had thick silky straps as well.

Lorelai wore a strapless dress as well. Only, hers was a pale blue and had a lace jacket that tied with a ribbon. All wore the same version of a dark blue Jimmy Choo shoe. Even Rory, who said it would be her "something blue" for the day.

While Rory was standing on a platform, allowing the seamstress to alter the hemline of the dress, Madeline, Paris and Lane started talking about high school again.

"So, Rory, did you ever think that not even 10 years after meeting him, you'd be getting married to Tristan DuGrey?" Madeline inquired, one hand pushing Rory's shoulder back so that she was standing straight while the other rested on her rounded stomach.

Rory laughed. "Honestly? After he left for military school, I pictured it more than once. But that was after I realized that I like him. Before that? Well, I would have rather entered a convent."

She looked around at her friends. Of the five of them, she was the last to be getting married. Not that she was old or anything. They were all 24. But they had all found their Mr. Rights early and had been married.

Lane was madly in love with Dave and had been since she met him when they started a band together. The band last through college, but only as a weekend thing. Now, Lane was a concert promoter while Dave was in his last year of law school.

Paris, despite her neurotic tendencies that would have driven any sane man insane, had met her match with Lucas. He was tall, dark and handsome Southern boy who she had met when she interned at an Atlanta hospital before her senior year of college. He was the exact opposite of her, calm and collected at all times, and they balanced each other well. He was 25 and had been in Atlanta on business when they had (literally) run into each other on the street. They had married last year, in a small garden ceremony.

Madeline was definitely the biggest surprise of all. After being accepted to Princeton, she had majored in International Business and was the head of Dolce & Gabbana's US Advertising and Sales. She had met Allen 3 years ago and they had married after their second date. They already had two-year old twins Caroline and Andrew.

Stephanie, at no surprise to anyone who knew her, married Colin in a huge, ceremony in New York City. Over 750 people attended. They yelled at each other on a daily basis and called one another names that most people had never even heard before, yet they were crazy for one another. And Stephanie would be more than happy to tell you how often (that is, daily) that they had sex.

She sighed in happiness. She couldn't believe that in less than a month, she'd be Mrs. Tristan DuGrey.

* * *

November 20, 2009

The dresses and tuxes were finished being tailored. The caterers had been told of the final decisions as far as food went. Responses from invitations had arrived. The band had been chosen. Place settings had been bought. The reception hall had been rented.

All that was left to do was pick out the song for their first dance.

"Tristan, I am not dancing to She Shook Me All Night Long."

"Why not? It's a classic!"

"It's AC/DC! It's not a first dance kinda band. It can be played later in the night. Plus my grandmother would have a heart attack!"

He smirked, "Your mother would think it's funny."

Rory had to laugh, "Of course she would. But it's not her wedding, is it?"

"Okay, how about Here's to the Night?"

"Tristan. I'm going to say this one last time. Our first dance will not be to a song that blatantly talks about having sex. And before you mention it, Let's Get It On is most definitely not an option."

"Aww, c'mon Rory."

She gave him an "If looks could kill, you'd be dead" glance and went back to looking through her mothers' CD collection. Tristan sat on the couch going through his collection on iTunes.

"What about Forever and For Always?"

Tristan made a look that could be compared to gagging on a spoon. "If you won't dance to Mervin Gaye, I won't dance to Shania Twain."

"I Got You Babe?"

"Sonny and Cher? Are you serious?"

"Dancin' In the Moonlight?"

"It says 'we get it almost every night…' what do you honestly think?"

"I Don't Want To Miss A Thing?"

"The Aerosmith one from Armageddon?" Rory asked, not sure if she was thinking of the right one.

"Yes" Tristan was unsure. What was she going to say to this song?

Rory tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Perfect."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, it has the whole rock thing for you and the whole romantic thing for me. It's perfect."

"That's what I thought."

And with that, Tristan got off the couch, and wrapped Rory in the biggest hug ever and kissed her with everything he had at that moment.


End file.
